


Gaffer Tape and Hope

by timeladyleo



Category: Cabin Pressure, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Star Wars AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-05-10 06:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5574442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeladyleo/pseuds/timeladyleo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Cabin Pressure AU set in the Star Wars universe.</p><p>In which Carolyn is Jedi Master with Martin as her padawan, Arthur is strangely force sensitive and Douglas and Herc are smugglers who accidentally get mixed up in Jedi business.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This wouldn't have happened without the terrific wellamarke/ottermo - may the four forces of up, down, left and right be with you :D

_A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...._

The smuggler stepped in from the rain. Night. The wooden hut was barely drier than the outside, but at least he felt able to take his hood off without getting soaked through. He hated the feeling of hair stuck to his face. It was dim in the hut, only a few faint lights in the roof to see by, casting long shadows and covering what he expected was probably something shady.

That was okay, he dealt in shady.

His eyes scanned the room to see if he could see - well, anything. Things to sell, things to steal. Or possibly most importantly, the thing he was here to take and smuggle. The guy who was selling this to him really knew how to make someone wait. The smuggler noted a few blasters on the wall ahead. At least he had an escape plan if it all went bottoms up.

The rain really was bad. He looked behind him where water was pouring down. Inside was a dripping, a rhythmic count of the seconds he’d waited. If he had to wait much longer he was going to get out his torch, grab some stuff and go. It would serve the guy right for trying to be so mysterious.

Fortunately, he never got to implement his plan as a few minutes later another man stepped out from the shadows. “You’re here for the thing?” he asked. The smuggler noticed he looked nervous, eyes darting around as though expecting someone to arrest him at any moment.

“Yes. I’ll take it, and leave with payment. What we agreed and no less.” The smuggler stepped forwards to try and get a clearer view of the other man. They were about the same age, young but aged by their job. He seemed unaffected by the weather, damp but not bothered, and wore a thick cloak lined with some sort of fur. It would only be impressive if he’d made it. And in their line of work, that wasn’t unlikely.

“If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to it. Though I’m afraid our terms may have changed somewhat. And you’ll need your cloak.” The man led the smuggler through the hut and back out into the rain. The smuggler frowned, pulling his cloak tightly over his shoulders.

“It’d better be nearby.” he grumbled. If he had to spend longer than necessary in this rain then the blasters were going to look like more and more of a good idea.

“Oh, it is. It’s just in my ship here.” The two hurried to the ship, old and seemingly underused. The smuggler assured himself that his ship, though stolen, was far superior to this old rubbish. “It’s through here.”

They went through to one of the storage rooms, where a small box was sat on the shelf. “Is that it?” the smuggler asked in both question and disdain. Surely it should be in a better looking box, one that would make buyers want it.

“It’s here. Look.” The guy opened the box, and inside was a silver lightsaber - or at least, a very convincing replica of one. One of the smuggler’s talents was tricking people into thinking that they were real, and selling them on for as much money as he could. It turned out that there were people willing to spend a lot for them. He just hoped that he was far, far away by the time they found out they weren’t real. So far he hadn’t been caught by them.

“You’ve dealt with these before, haven’t you? You’re not as surprised as people usually are.” That was true, he wasn’t. He’d seen enough to know a real lightsaber when he saw one.

“You’re hardly surprised either.” A lame retort, but he liked having the last word.

The guy shrugged. “I make them, the only thing I’m still surprised by is that people fall for them.”

“You make them? They’re damn good, I’ve sold them all over.”

“Not all of them, but some. The money that comes back to me in the end is good.” The smuggler said nothing as he took it. He put the box into his bag.

“So, meeting the maker of the things that bring me profit… What do I call you?” The guy looked him up and down, cocking an eyebrow.

“What do I call the smuggler who sells them?” The two locked eyes for a moment waiting for the other to crack.

“Douglas.” he said at last.

“Hercules.” He opened another box and handed Douglas his money. And so the pact was sealed, and a bond of friendship formed.

* * *

 

She always enjoyed spending time with the younglings. They were always so pure, innocent, kind - nice after spending all day with the Jedi council. Not that she’d complain at being a Jedi Master, it wasn’t easy to get there. She was well known, well respected and generally well regarded.

If only it didn’t all hinge on a secret that would cost her - well, everything.

Never mind secrets. She enjoyed watching the younglings play. It wasn’t a training session so they were laughing without a care. The children never seemed to have a care. She had been training the younglings for years, and delighted in it. Only now there were annoyingly personal feelings involved.

Recently, a young boy had been placed in her group. He was older than the others, nearly too old and never stopped being nervous. His master was going to have a hard time, that was for sure. But he was kind, if stammering.

He would have been alone, outcast by his age if it hadn’t been for one of the younger younglings in her group. He was always smiling, always cheery and had a strongly instinctive feeling for the force. She supposed that came from being born of a Jedi. Her secret. The only secret Arthur ever managed to keep.

In a way, both he and Martin were misfits in the group. Arthur would have no problem becoming a padawan. His master would be lucky to have a student so natural to the force. If it wouldn’t compromise her, she’d take him on herself.

“Master Knapp-Shappey?” Carolyn had been so distracted in her own thoughts that she’d barely noticed Martin come up to her. She bent down to his level.

“What is it, Martin? You have something on your mind.” He nodded and looked at the floor. For an older child he was still fairly short, and his hair an unruly ginger. It was going to be hard to tame into a padawan braid.

“I- well, I’ve been worrying a lot about becoming a padawan. I’ve had dreams where no one wants me and- I will be a Jedi, won’t I?” Martin shuffled from foot to foot, the youngling saber barely touched at his side.

Carolyn smiled at him. Such fears were common, but then most of those who feared such things were young and inexperienced. Martin’s age and inexperience did put him at a disadvantage. Still, it wasn’t her place to discourage him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You have shown dedication, Martin. Have faith, those who show promise with the force are taught to use it. Why else do you think you are here?”

“Yes… Yes I suppose you’re right. Thank you, Master.” He did not seem wholly satisfied, but accepted her answer with a nod. She felt sorry for him in a way, perhaps she’d put in a good word or two in the council.

Anyone who was so kind to Arthur deserved to be a Jedi. She couldn’t tell a soul about Arthur, but she could make sure he was safe, and make sure to be good to those kind to him. It was the least she could do.

Martin returned over to Arthur. Carolyn couldn’t hear what they were saying and didn’t really care to, but she was pleased to see them both smile, and both laugh. The other younglings seemed to avoid them, which Carolyn could see, but she was pleased to see this didn’t seem to bother them any more.

It was about time she took on another apprentice. She hadn't for some time, not since Arthur was born. She’d told the council she’d found him, might as well raise him. They’d not argued that much, despite strongly disagreeing with her doing so. But now Arthur was almost of age to become a padawan he was going to need her less. There were many promising younglings, and if she asked she'd get one straight away.

It would give her something to do, at the least. And with luck, she would get a nice, well balanced, force sensitive padawan who would give her full respect and be willing to learn. She’d more than had her fill of headstrong, ‘I know best’ types. But whatever she did, it would be to keep Arthur out of danger. Jedi be damned, she’d keep him safe.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh Martin, for goodness sake. Can you just concentrate for once?” Carolyn rolled her eyes as the pebbles clattered to the floor. Martin sighed. “How many years have we been doing this now?”

“Sorry Master. I’ll concentrate better this time, I promise.” Martin was hesitant to admit that he'd been distracted thinking about some of the new ships that had recently been put up for sale, fast and sleek. If only Carolyn would let him train more in piloting, rather all these ridiculous exercises in the force. She was right, he had been working on it for years and years, he was already older than lots of the others who had become padawans when he did and they were Jedi Knights. 

At this rate he would never be a Jedi. How embarrassing. If the most renowned Jedi Master couldn’t teach him to channel the force then no one could. 

How he had managed to end up with Carolyn as his Master he’d never know. He would have happily had anyone who would be willing to take him, and in honesty he was slightly afraid of Carolyn through her reputation. But she had been given him, seemingly to her surprise too after Martin had shown the council his vast knowledge of the Jedi code. He’d managed to find a complete 600 page book on it, outlining everything a Jedi should be, then learnt it. 

Somehow this had persuaded the council to make him a padawan, and even more startlingly let Carolyn be his Master. He couldn’t help but feel that she was never impressed with him, she was usually critical and never seemed to have any confidence in him. She didn’t give praise easily, so Martin relished in it when she did. When he did something right and she congratulated him, it was the best feeling in the galaxy. 

It wasn’t his fault he'd never seen a lightsaber before becoming a padawan. 

“No,” she said as he went to retrieve the pebbles. Without moving she lifted them with the force and placed them back neatly into her bag. “We can try this again tomorrow. You’re frustrated now, so you’ll never concentrate even if you want to. I need to go and inspect the new ships they brought in yesterday for the council for whatever reason. We can continue training there.” 

Martin leapt to his feet at the prospect of seeing ships. He wasn’t sure if Carolyn did know they full extent of his obsession with them (she probably did), but it was a treat to be allowed to see them. They’d been all over the quadrant in recent years, to hundreds of planets and on all sorts of terms. Martin liked the visits to markets and to settlements to make sure everything was fine, but he was less fond of chasing rogue smugglers or seeking out shifty attackers. 

They headed to the hangar quickly and without a word. It wasn’t far from where they had been training. As they arrived a door was flung open by a young man who ran towards them, launching himself at Carolyn who was totally unsurprised. “Hello, Arthur.” she said with a smile. Martin murmured a greeting, always unsure of how to respond to Arthur. All Martin knew was that he had been orphaned as a baby and brought up by Carolyn, and that he’d dropped out of Jedi training despite being a natural with the force. 

Martin would have envied him, almost hated him if he hadn’t been so genuinely kind and happy. “Have you come to see the new ships?” Carolyn nodded. “Brilliant! I had to get them to put them through here because they wanted to move GERTI…” As Arthur continued to ramble, Martin somewhat tuned out. Though he was interested in the new ships, the old ship always seemed to capture him more. 

It was a mystery why Carolyn kept it when she had very little interest in actually flying. It was basically a pile of old junk, though somehow still able to fly as far as Martin could tell. A few times he’d walked around it - a ship is a ship after all - and seen that though it was a relic, it could be worth something if it got patched up. 

What Martin didn’t know, and was one of the few things Arthur had managed to keep secret in his life, was that Carolyn had more or less stolen it from his father. He didn’t like thinking about his dad, because it made him think about this face that his mum made whenever he was mentioned. Arthur was just glad he’d never known Gordon very well. Sometimes just the thought of him ruining everything made Arthur feel ill. 

He pushed all thoughts of his father away and followed Carolyn and Martin through the hangar to the new ships. They were top of the range, five of them, shiny silver and sleek. The man who had delivered them had been telling Arthur about them, that they were fast and elegant, and that they’d be perfect for almost any job. He hadn’t really understood the technical details but had written them down for Martin, knowing he'd appreciate them. 

The two had an unspoken agreement when it came to ships. Arthur spent a lot of time with them, and so could tell Martin all about them when he was allowed to have a break from training. Arthur could see how stressed Martin was about it, and was only glad to help.

That was, as far as he could see, one of the advantages of deciding against becoming a padawan. He had worried about it for weeks and weeks, worried about what Carolyn would say and how the council would feel about him deciding against being trained. Not that they knew his mother was a Jedi master, but he had a strong connection to the force, and maybe they wouldn’t want him to not be a Jedi. 

Carolyn had made sure they were fine with it. Arthur wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or not, but she was supportive so he didn’t feel bad about it. Much. He just couldn't agree to something that took the beauty of the force and used it to learn how to fight and manipulate people. Even if that wasn’t all Jedi did, even if they were good, Arthur wasn’t comfortable at all. And so here he worked, doing menial tasks for Carolyn or the council, tending to the ships, accompanying Jedi to meetings, chatting to visitors. Perhaps it wasn’t living up to his full potential, but he enjoyed being allowed to do what he wanted, more or less. 

The three stood by the new ships. Arthur had already had a thorough look around and so hung back while Martin and Carolyn took a closer inspection. Martin was all over them, face lit up as though a youngling being given his first lightsaber. Carolyn was totally unfazed, new ships not being new news to her. “Arthur, have you been inside to check everything’s in order?” 

“I went into one, and it seemed fine, but you came before I could look in the others.” Caroyln nodded once. 

“Come on then. You too, Martin, before your slobber ruins the paintwork.” Arthur grinned at Martin’s huff of indignance. They followed Carolyn into the furthest ship to the door. She looked around it with narrow eyes, ready to criticise any aspect of it. Just as he’d expected, the ship was much the same as the other one Arthur went into. it was as generic as any other ship, the walls smooth and off white, the floor grey and the inner doors sliding open without effort. 

There was a lot of storage space, though the living areas seemed fairly luxurious, not over fancy but clean and comfortable. Carolyn led them to the flight deck. Arthur noted her frown deepen as they passed some more wall storage. He assumed she’d noticed something she didn’t like, though wasn’t sure if she was in the mood for questioning about it. Martin offered some technical details than Carolyn nodded at, but whether or not she was really listening was questionable. 

She stopped just before the flight deck. Martin almost crashed into the back of her, too caught up in ship facts to notice her stopping. “What’s wrong?” Arthur asked. That was the face she only made when something really was wrong. 

“Can you sense it?” she addressed both of them, treating it as though they were both her students. Martin closed his eyes, face crumpling as he tried to concentrate on searching for what Carolyn was talking about. Now that she mentioned it, Arthur too could sense something - or rather someone - on board, someone who wasn't supposed to be there. 

“Yes.” said Arthur, reaching out to pat Martin on the arm. He had drooped at being the only one to not see what they were talking about. “You’re trying too hard, Martin. You’ve got to feel it, not look for it.” 

Carolyn smiled at him - a rare, genuine smile that showed she was impressed. She then turned to Martin, looking directly at him. “Arthur is right, Martin. When you understand how to feel the force then you will stop trying to use it, and sense it all around.” Martin mumbled something under his breath that Arthur didn’t hear, and that Carolyn rolled her eyes at. 

“This way.” she said, leading the way back to one of the wall compartments. Cautiously, she opened the compartment, taking the handle to slide the panel to the left to reveal what should have been a reasonably sized space. 

In it was a man. 

The smile he gave them was broad and fake. “Hello.” he said lamely and as smoothly as could be possible after just being discovered hiding in someone else's ship. 

There was a silence as no-one knew what to say. Carolyn was next to speak, pulling herself out of surprise to demand what he was doing. “Who in the galaxy are you and why the hell are you in a ship that belongs to the Jedi council?” 

A look of shock passed over his face as though he wasn't even aware of whose ship he was in. “My name’s Douglas Richardson, and I can explain everything.”


	3. Chapter 3

This certainly wasn’t how Douglas had planned for the day to go at all. He’d known it was a risk, but then if it was a choice between sneaking into a ship that may or may not be going to the Jedi, and being forced into a corner by a lot of angry Zygerrians with blasters, then he was going to choose not being shot in the head. 

He just wished he’d planned for the possibility that he wouldn’t be able to slip away unseen. 

The two young ones would be easy, he could just push through them, hold up his blaster and frighten them. Jedi or not, he doubted they’d want to take him on. It was the woman that he’d struggle with, and no amount of stalling would stop her from getting suspicious. He glanced to her lightsaber, trying to mask his worry. 

“I won’t ask you again.” she said, looking straight at him with an angry glint that Douglas had come to recognise as one that always, always meant trouble. He grinned and raised his hands a little, hoping that the charming method would work - at least most of the time it did. 

“I’m terribly sorry about all of this. You see, it was an accident that I’m here at all and I’m most certainly not here to cause any trouble, just escape it. More or less. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way.” With another over the top fake smile he attempted to take a step forward, intending to shove the Jedi out the way. The woman put out her hand to prevent him leaving, stopping him in his tracks. How was she so strong? 

“You are not going anywhere until you can prove to me that you are not here with malicious intent.” Douglas grinned again, but more in fear than trying to wiggle out of it. There was a reason he’d tried his hardest to stay away from Jedi his whole life, even before he’d gotten mixed up with trading fake lightsabers and conning people over the exact value of their ships. But even to him, there was an air of familiarity, something telling him he’d seen her before. 

“Oh my stars, you’re Carolyn Knapp-Shappey.” Douglas decided that now would be a great time for the earth to swallow him whole. Not only was he face to face with a Jedi Master, but with one of the greatest, most famous, most well respected Jedi Masters possibly ever. At least, Douglas thought it was ever, and had as such gone out of his way to avoid such a confrontation. 

Like this day could get any worse.

Carolyn raised an eyebrow at him recognising her, though if that was a good or bad sign, he had no idea. It might have been his imagination, but she seemed mildly amused. “Yes, I am. And yet we still don’t know who you are. Perhaps we’ll get clearer answers out of the ship.”  
Douglas allowed himself to be herded out of the ship - it was uncomfortable in the cupboard anyway - and followed the Jedi through the massive hangar. It was full of transport starships of all sizes, ones Douglas guessed the Jedi used for going about their business. He made no attempt to be subtle in looking at them all, marvelling at the latest models. 

Then, tucked away behind one of the huge freighters he noticed a small, old, slightly beaten ship he only recognised from seeing a few pictures year and year ago. He’d thought it was a joke when he’d seen the parts for one, because they were ancient and he could barely imagine them working. 

“Sorry, is that an LM-312? I didn’t realise any of those even worked?” He paused to look at it again, and looked round to see Carolyn’s padawan looking up at him in surprise. 

“You recognise it?” he asked. Douglas felt like there was some barely contained excitement in his voice. 

“It doesn't do to be in the business of starships if you can’t recognise them.” Douglas said with a grin. Carolyn crossed her arms, clearly impatient at the hold up. 

“That’s really impressive, because hardly anyone recognises the models of even the standard ships, let alone more obscure ones like that.” He grinned at Douglas, and looked like he was about to launch into some conversation about ships before Carolyn cut him off, sensing the incoming torrent of information about flying. 

“Martin, that will more than do. You work on starships then?” Though it was a question, she didn't seem wholly convinced by that. Douglas nodded. It wasn’t a total lie, at least. 

“Yeah. I sell parts.” He smiled, though felt unconvincing. Again, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t exactly a truth - he’d left out the ‘illegal, dodgy trading’ part about what he did. Carolyn raised an eyebrow, and Douglas felt his heart sink. He was screwed. There was no way she wasn’t seeing right through him and seeing him as a filthy smuggler.

There was a long pause as Carolyn looked over to the ship, then back to him. Damn the Jedi and their unreadable expressions. “So you’d know where to get parts for an LM-312 then?” He nodded again, unsure what exactly she was thinking, or what saying yes would mean for him. “How much?”

It took him a moment to realise what she was asking him for. “Well, it depends on the deal I could get, and what parts you’d need. It wouldn’t be too steep, I’d imagine - though they’re not exactly in demand there are plenty floating around. They modify easily into other things.” He stopped himself before he said anything he might regret. “Why?”

“It’s mine.” Carolyn said, her firmly neutral expression softening into a rueful smile. “The ship. It’s been out of use for some time, I’m missing a landing jet, among other things.” 

Douglas chuckled at how she’d obviously never done any research into buying parts. “They’re everywhere, I’d have no problem sourcing one for you.” This was what he was good at - selling things. Now all he needed to do was get out of there before he got in too deep. He had a reputation among the black market, and being with the Jedi would almost certainly ruin it. Not that they would know, because he could get her what she wanted and never go back. 

At this rate he’d have to never go back, because he didn’t think he could bear the embarrassment of having to ever look at Carolyn again. 

Carolyn frowned, looking over to her ship as though she was in pain thinking about it. “I’ve been told in the past that I’d never get it flying again, that I left it alone too long and it’s too old and too broken.” She paused, looking almost conflicted for a moment before saying “If you can fix my ship - properly, completely fix it, I won’t turn you in for sneaking around in Jedi property.”

Douglas’s eyes widened. Surely she couldn’t be serious? She was a Jedi Master of all things, so either she was really, really attached to this ship or she had some ulterior motive that he couldn’t see. And he was fairly sure it wouldn’t be the former, because since were Jedi attached to anything but their pride and stupid codes? He’d just turned up and she was willing to let him just go free? In his experience that was usually too good to be true. Martin too looked baffled by the offer. 

“Are you sure about this, Master? I don’t doubt you, but- Gerti is really broken and we have no idea who this man even is.” He trailed off a little, seeming embarrassed by even the though if uncertainty towards Carolyn. She raised an eyebrow at him, which Douglas imagined to be a ‘don’t be ridiculous’ expression from the way Martin his shrunk back, lowering his head. 

“You forget, Martin, I’ve met smugglers from all over the galaxy and every one of them is the same. It is more beneficial for Douglas to avoid an official mark against his name, fake or not. I would be surprised if he didn't agree.” It was a talent, Douglas decided, that she could be talking to someone else entirely and still make him feel put on the spot. 

“Okay, so say I help you. I fix the ship, but then what? You’re really willing to let me walk away?” As soon as the words were free he regretted them. Now he looked like he almost wanted to be taken to the nearest authorities. Which would be terrible. 

He was intensely aware of Martin’s eyes on him, judging him. Maybe the judging was just a general Jedi thing. “I will make you the offer one final time. Fix the ship, and you’re free to go. No catches, but believe me, if you trick me there will be nowhere in the galaxy you can hide from being brought to justice.” 

Douglas didn’t doubt that for a second. He nodded once. He had nothing to lose by it - he was good at fixing things and he could easily get the stuff. He’d be out of there in a week.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken such a horrendously long time to write - many thanks if you've actually been waiting on it, and hopefully the next one will be sooner!

Martin always felt bad disagreeing with Carolyn, because weren’t Jedi Masters supposed to know far better than their padawans and so be obeyed? But he had some serious doubts about Douglas. He knew what smugglers were like and there were few honest ones. A few times he had considered talking to Carolyn about it but thought better of it as he realised that not only would it feel like going against her, but keeping quiet would be an excuse to be around ships. 

After the first week, Martin had begrudgingly accepted that maybe Douglas wasn’t a total scam. At least, he seemed to know what he was doing with Gerti, even if he also looked like he thought it would be a far easier job than reality was proving. 

Martin knew from the few times he been allowed near that she was very much a ship out of service. 

“Isn't it brilliant that we’re going to be able to use Gerti again?” Arthur had gone on and on and on about little else all week. Martin more or less lived with him and Carolyn, finding it easier to go about his training that way seeing as his mother lived almost all the way across the galaxy, and Carolyn lived some distance from the nearest academy. Like she’d follow the rules. 

Was that unfair? She followed the ones she agreed with, but ignored all the others. Martin found it impossible to understand how she could want to go against the codes - they were there for a reason, and they seemed to work. Didn’t they? In a way he was frustrated at Carolyn. Yes, she was a great Jedi, but her teaching was doing very little for him, because in his mind, knowledge of the Force meant little without theory. And he’d read _all_ the theory. 

Arthur was a prime example of this. It was more than an unusual circumstance, both in Carolyn persuading the council into actually let her raise him, and in the fact she _wanted_ to. Martin just didn’t get it. She didn’t seem at all motherly to him, and if she had cared so much, surely taking him as a padawan would have been more rewarding, and there was no way the council would have allowed that after adopting him. 

In fact, Martin found it hard to believe Carolyn cared about anything. If she did, surely she’d have made Arthur train to be a Jedi, even if she couldn’t take him on. He was allowed to drop out and now he got to tag along everywhere they went. And just to rub it in even more, Arthur was far better at everything than Martin was. He tried not to be bitter, to be jealous, because knew that was not the Jedi way to harbour grudges, but it was so hard when he felt so overshadowed. 

It didn’t help that Arthur was so nice. 

“Brilliant, yeah. I just want to look at the engineering. But I doubt Carolyn would ever let me look at it, let alone fly it.” He didn’t try to mask his lack of enthusiasm. Arthur punched him gently in the arm, making his frown deepen. 

“Cheer up! If you asked I’m sure she’d let you be the copilot. She hasn’t flown for ages though, not Gerti or really anything else. I don’t think she really likes it, so I reckon that’s why she’s thinking of keeping Douglas, because really Gerti needs two pilots.” Martin looked up at Arthur, startled. That was news to him. How stupid was Carolyn going to be? He sighed. 

“It isn’t my place to request training of my Master. I am sure Carolyn knows what she is doing. Besides, couldn’t you fly it?” Arthur shrugged, his eyes moving from Martin to stare into the distance over his shoulder. 

“I can’t fly ships.” Martin felt horrible at the flood of relief that swept over him at the realisation that even if he was a bad pilot he’d still be better than Arthur. He took a deep breath and tried to smile sympathetically. 

“I wish Carolyn would let me fly, well, anything at all. I can fly but I’d still like some proper guidance. But no, she still thinks it’s great to keep me levitating rocks. Rocks! Not like we’ve been doing that for literal years or anything. You’d think I’d be an expert by now, but look at me! I can hardly do that!” He flopped back into the grass, defeated. 

A huge grassy meadow stretched out for miles behind Carolyn’s house, green all year long and blooming in the summer. To the west was a thick forest where the trees were tall and ancient and created a permanent evening within with their leaves. The house was on a hill, and down the path that weaved through the meadow was the town of Fitton. It was a market town, close enough to a port that people traded there all year long along its cobbled streets and between the rickety houses. 

Often, Martin and Arthur would run down when Carolyn shooed them out the house. They could spend hours looking at the trader's wares, the bright clothes and food that smelled so strong it made them gag. There were stalls that changed hands so frequently it seemed that every day there was something new, but they were a permanent fixture of the high street, so making it loud and busy and exciting. 

Arthur flopped back in the grass and turned his head to look at Martin, concerned at the look on his friend’s face. “Oh, I know what’ll cheer you up! Carolyn's going to be busy all day with the Council conference, so let’s go and see how Douglas is doing!” Martin stared up at the sky and frowned. 

“Are we allowed? Surely Carolyn would want-” 

“Carolyn would want you to stop being so serious and start having a bit of fun. Honestly, Martin, being a Jedi doesn't mean you have to live with a stick up your butt for the rest of your life with no thoughts of your own.” 

Before he could stop himself Martin muttered “Like you’d know about that.” Arthur fell silent and Martin knew he’d been too venomous. He knew Arthur was sensitive about not becoming a Jedi, but he just wished he could see that it was all Martin wanted, and the only thing he do to prove himself of any worth. 

“I’m sorry Arthur. I just - I want to be a good Jedi, and the only way I know how to do that is to follow the rules to the letter.” It was the only way he could see to stop himself from having all the emotions that were forbidden too, but he kept that to himself. There was a moment of silence, Arthur’s deep exhale lost to the slight breeze that drifted over them, rippling through the grass. 

“Please can we go and see Gerti?” Martin closed his eyes, hoping that being humble would let Arthur forgive him. Arthur sat bolt upright. 

“Of course! It’ll be fine Martin, and even better when we can fly again.” He jumped up and offered Martin his hand with a grin. Martin took it gratefully, wishing that he could forgive as easily as Arthur always seemed to.

They ran together down the field towards the port, where they could see a ship taking off, nose pointed to outer space. Arthur tripped over his feet a couple of times, making them burst into giggles. Gerti was parked in one of the hangars at the back of the port, and had been sat there for some time. There were some other Jedi ships with her that Carolyn kept an eye on, but none of them were quite as grounded. 

As they got close to Gerti they could hear Douglas talking to himself, swearing gently at the wiring and muttering at his screwdriver. Arthur looked into the ship and yelled “Hi Douglas!” There was a muffled exclamation and a crash before Douglas stuck his head out from the floor. 

“Oh, you two. You startled me.” Arthur bounced over as Douglas heaved himself up out of the hatch. Martin lingered in the door, still uncertain of Douglas, still uncertain that they should even be there. None of this stopped Arthur, who sat down immediately on the floor and grinned. 

“What are you doing today?” Douglas smiled over at Martin, who looked to the floor, and began to try and explain some complex mechanical work to Arthur, who either - for once - understood it, or was simply nodding along because he enjoyed hearing it. Martin very much suspected that it was the latter, but couldn’t help his frown deepening as he imagined Douglas and Arthur having these conversations often. 

Worse, he knew he _could_ have them, and understand them, but it just wouldn’t be appropriate.

He was so busy mulling over why the Jedi code couldn’t be even a little more lenient for things you loved that he didn’t even hear the suggestion Douglas made, only felt Arthur tug on his robe and say “Come on, Martin, please?” Without thinking he agreed, so used to being unable to say no to Arthur. Douglas beamed. Martin began to instantly regret not thinking. Why did he have to be so self absorbed? 

There was no time for further mulling though. Douglas had offered to show them his progress, and had already begun to lead on. That was okay. If Carolyn questioned him later he could say he was just checking that Douglas was doing an honest job. At this point, he had no idea if he would have or not. 

They filed off the ship, and wandered under the wing. “There, see,” said Douglas, gesturing up. “Brand new landing jet.” 

“But this is top of the range! Gerti isn’t worth nearly what that costs, and it’s far too powerful for her system - if anything she should have something less… good.” Martin trailed off, feeling his face burning. Douglas looked at him for a moment, startled that he really knew what he was talking about. He blinked, and recovered. 

“For a start, I can find whatever I want dirt cheap - I won’t tell you how because you wouldn’t like it, but believe me it wasn’t as pricey as you may think. Secondly, why do you think I’m messing around with the internal wiring? I’m trying not to bust the thing, because I also gave her a bit of an engine upgrade, though I’m frightened that’s going to-”

“Bust the hyperdrive.” Martin said in unison with Douglas, making them both smile. “Have you tried decreasing the compressors, because that won’t help if there’s more power.” Douglas nodded, impressed. 

“You should come and help me out, Martin.” Martin opened his mouth to object but Douglas waved his hand. “I know what you think of me, and that you have all your ridiculous codes and laws and whatever to follow, but I could do with the help, and I can see you know your stuff.” Though he didn’t phrase it as such, the question was clear, and Douglas’ desperation for company. 

Still, Martin hesitated. “I’ll have to ask Carolyn.”

It was little surprise that she at once sent him back out to help.


End file.
